PPP TABLE OF CONTENTS PREAMBLE Preamble... 1 PURPOSES Purposes... 3 PRINCIPLES... 5 Principles Regarding Accreditation... 19 Principles Regarding Activism... 140 Principles Regarding Admission to Medical School... 17 Principles Regarding Adult Obesity... 165 Principles Regarding Aging... 95 Principles Regarding Allied Health-Care Professionals and Personnel... 36 Principles Regarding Bioethics... 76 Principles Regarding Campaign Finance, Elections, and Political Action... 139 Principles Regarding Care of the Homeless and Indigent... 118 Principles Regarding Child and Adolescent Health Care... 93 Principles Regarding Climate Change... 159 Principles Regarding Death and Dying... 75 Principles Regarding Dietary Supplements... 136 Principles Regarding the Environment... 119 Principles Regarding Financing of Medical Education... 20 Principles Regarding the FDA's Prohibition on Men Who Have Sex With Men From Donating Blood and Sperm Products... 137 Principles Regarding Freedom of Speech 161 Principles Regarding the Food Industry... 58 Principles Regarding Food and Nutrition... 54 Principles Regarding Gender Identity... 154 Principles Regarding Genetics... 141 Principles Regarding Graduate Medical Education and Specialty Distribution... 30 Principles Regarding Healthcare in the Criminal Justice System..158 Principles Regarding Health Disparities... 146 i
Principles Regarding Health Equity... 151 Principles Regarding Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and HIV-Related Illnesses... 105 Principles Regarding Human Research Participants... 42 Principles Regarding Human Rights... 88 Principles Regarding Human Trafficking (HT) and Commercially and Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC)... 162 Principles Regarding Indigenous Health 157 Principles Regarding Immigrant Health... 155 Principles Regarding Integrative, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (ICAM)... 134 Principles Regarding International Health... 97 Principles Regarding International Medical Schools and Graduates... 32 Principles Regarding International Trade Agreements... 143 Principles Regarding Intersex Health... 150 Principles Regarding Medicaid... 104 Principles Regarding Medical Center Recovery After a Catastrophic Event... 160 Principles Regarding Medical Education Curriculum Design... 7 Principles Regarding Medical Education Curriculum Content... 9 Principles Regarding Medical Education Evaluation 16 Principles Regarding Medical Education Mission Statements... 147 Principles Regarding Medicare and Social Security... 103 Principles Regarding Mental Health... 102 Principles Regarding Minority Representation and Affirmative Action... 18 Principles Regarding Naturopathic Medicine... 164 Principles Regarding Nonprofit Organizations... 114 Principles Regarding Osteopathic Medicine... 135 Principles Regarding Patients Rights... 72 Principles Regarding Pediatric Obesity... 144 Principles Regarding Persons with Disabilities... 128 Principles Regarding Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices... 37 Principles Regarding Physician Aid in Dying... 78 Principles Regarding Physician Competence... 81 Principles Regarding Physician Impairment... 101 Principles Regarding Physician Payment Reform... 115 ii
Principles Regarding Physician-Scientists... 96 Principles Regarding Physicians and Conflict... 91 Principles Regarding Physicians and the Armed Forces... 61 Principles Regarding Physician Unionization... 138 Principles Regarding Poverty and Public Assistance... 130 Principles Regarding Premedical Education... 116 Principles Regarding Preventive Medicine and Public Health... 82 Principles Regarding Primary Care and Family Medicine... 28 Principles Regarding Professionalism and Professional Liability... 34 Principles Regarding Quality, Affordable, Health Care For All in the United States: Coverage, Access, and Delivery... 25 Principles Regarding Representation of Women in Medicine... 80 Principles Regarding Reproductive Rights, Family Planning and Sex Education... 49 Principles Regarding Research... 117 Principles Regarding Resident and Student Work Hours... 112 Principles Regarding Service in Underserved Areas and Service Obligations... 23 Principles Regarding Sexuality... 122 Principles Regarding Stem Cell Research... 149 Principles Regarding Student Rights and Responsibilities... 62 Principles Regarding Terrorism... 142 Principles Regarding Treatment of Prisoners of War and Enemy Combatants... 148 Principles Regarding The Use of Illegal Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco... 43 Principles Regarding Violence and Hate Crimes... 125 Principles Regarding Vivisection in Medical Education... 100 Principles Regarding War and Military Action... 85 Principles Regarding Wellness of Medical Students and House Staff... 70 Principles Regarding Work and the Work Environment... 59 History of CBIA & PPP....166 Appendix I The Proposed Model Oath for New Physicians 167 Appendix II Chairs of The House of Delegates....168 iii
PREAMBLE 1
PREAMBLE of the AMERICAN MEDICAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION The American Medical Student Association is dedicated to the improvement of medical education, health care, and health care delivery so that health care may become more personal and holistic in a world of increasing technology and efficiency. We define health as a positive, dynamic state of physical, mental and environmental well-being, and therefore, believe that health care should be oriented toward the achievement of health and not solely a treatment of disease. Health maintenance, then, becomes a basic responsibility of all individuals, and health professionals become the colleagues of patients in the management and maintenance of health. We believe that access to quality health care is a right, not a privilege. This implies equal access to equally high standards of health care regardless of economic status, political beliefs, cultural background, geographic position, race, creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, physical handicap, mental handicap or institutionalization for criminal, medical or psychiatric reasons. Since resources are limited, they should be allocated so that they equitably promote the public health; thus, health-care issues must be addressed in the public forum. 2
PURPOSES 3
PURPOSES of the AMERICAN MEDICAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION The Purposes of the American Medical Student Association are: I. To promote improvements in health sciences education so that: A. medical education is sensitive and responsive to actual health care needs; B. students are treated and trained as individuals interested in health care, not as technicians; C. a multiplicity of personal backgrounds and approaches to health care are encouraged; D. advances in the biological, natural, and social sciences and their clinical applications are recognized as fundamental to medical progress and crucial to the delivery of quality medical care; E. the educational environment fosters growth of the student as an integrated mental, physical and spiritual being; F. the education environment is non-biased towards medical students and other health care professionals based on their economic status, political beliefs, race, creed, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity, disability or health status; G.. creative learning opportunities are provided through experimental, self-directed and interdisciplinary programs; H. medical education is more accessible to traditionally underrepresented segments of our society; I. the rights, dignity and responsibility of the patient are emphasized; J. the medical education process helps foster individual commitment to public service; K. the importance of the role of political processes in formulating health care-policy is understood; L. there is a deeper understanding of the relationship between pathology and the personal experience of disease; M. the ethical and philosophical dilemmas inherent in scientific medical technology are fully and freely explored; N. medical education fosters a compassionate understanding of substance abuse problems and mental illness, with a goal toward reducing their stigma in the profession and for the public at large; O. students are encouraged to explore global health issues and gain international and cross-cultural health care experience; P. students are treated as respected members of the medical school community, with distinct rights and positions of responsibility in that community; Q. students are exposed to varying models of health-care delivery and to the trends influencing health care. 4
II. Improve health services so that: A. quality health-care services are readily available and accessible to all regardless of economic status, political beliefs, race, creed, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity, physical handicap, mental handicap or institutionalization for criminal, medical or psychiatric reasons; B. health services provided are responsible to cultural-geographical needs; C. health-care planning involves participation by recipients and providers; D. resources are allocated such that they promote human rather than technological priorities; E. the delivery of health care is reviewed to ensure cost and quality effectiveness; F. the patient becomes an informed, active participant in health management; G. preventive and longitudinal care are accorded high priority; H. health care becomes more personal and holistic in a world of increasing technology and efficiency. 5
PRINCIPLES 6
PRINCIPLES REGARDING MEDICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM DESIGN The American Medical Student Association: 1. In regards to Curriculum Design: a. ENCOURAGES substantive participation of medical student representatives on curriculum committees and other advisory bodies involved in curricular oversight. (2005) b. SUPPORTS using a framework of competencies and objectives to guide curricular design and development. (2005) c. DISCOURAGES the use of letter grades (ie A, B, C, D, F) in medical school. (2012) d. DISCOURAGES the use of rankings and the calculation of GPAs during the pre-clinical years. (2012) e. STRONGLY URGES all medical schools to adopt the use of a strictly pass/fail grading policy during the pre-clinical years of medical school in order to reduce the risk of detrimental outcomes for medical students health & wellness as well as reduce unnecessary competition and promote teamwork and collaboration among medical students. (2012) f. SUPPORTS any effort to increase meaningful patient contact in the preclinical years. (2005) g. DISCOURAGES the excessive use of passive learning (i.e., lectures) in medical schools and URGES that active educational techniques (e.g., problem-solving, small group discussions, computer aided instruction) be more widely utilized. (1988) g. BELIEVES that hands-on training opportunities in undergraduate medical education are necessary to achieve a level of proficiency in medical procedures. (1988) h. SUPPORTS the development of federal and state grants and contracts with medical schools to meet the costs of curriculum development projects to improve the teaching of medical students on subjects of public health or other emerging national concern or global concern that are relevant to medicine and healthcare; (2017) i. SUPPORTS a medical school curriculum that provides appropriate faculty training in the areas of curriculum design and communication techniques, the adequacy of which to be reviewed through student evaluations and the accreditation process; j. STRONGLY SUPPORTS a medical school curriculum that develops and supports interdisciplinary courses and experiences, so that students of the various health disciplines can develop skills of collaboration and teamwork; mutual respect and understanding with regard to roles, training, education, and expertise; k. SUPPORTS a curriculum that incorporates formal and effective interpersonal skills training as an integral part of the preclinical and clinical instruction of medical students and residents; l. BELIEVES that cost-of-living stipends for clerkships and other experiences away from a student s home medical center; m. SUPPORTS the incorporation of medical simulation throughout the curriculum, both clinical and preclinical, to promote active learning and clinical relevance. (2011) n. ENCOURAGES the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) continue to support the AAMC Curriculum Management & Information Tool (CurrMIT) so that curriculum data can be collected and be made readily available to medical schools and medical students regarding the medical education curriculum policies and practices of American medical schools as well as make this database available to all providers and consumers of medical education. (2012) o. SUPPORTS the development and implementation of a competency based evaluation process for undergraduate and graduate medical training. (2013) p. SUPPORTS the formation of student-run medical specialty interest groups to increase student specialty awareness prior to clinical clerkship years, encourage student-physician collaboration and interaction, and complement medical school curriculum. (2015) 7
q. STRONGLY URGES the incorporation of the four core interprofessional collaborative practice competency domains (values/ethics for interprofessional practice; roles/responsibilities; interprofessional communication; and teams and teamwork) into medical schools curricula. 8
PRINCIPLES REGARDING MEDICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM CONTENT 1. In regard to Preventive and Community Medicine in the curriculum: a. URGES that every medical school have required preclinical and clinical curricula in Preventive and Community Medicine, that content to include, at the minimum, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Clinical Preventive Medicine, Community Medicine and Emergency Medicine; that this curricula: b. In regard to Emergency Medicine: 1. provides, in the core curriculum, training in Basic and Advanced Cardiac Life Support, management of life threatening emergencies, basic first aid, awareness of Poison Control or other available references regarding toxic and psychosocial emergencies; 2. SUPPORTS a medical school curriculum that provides instruction in emergency medical techniques and basic first aid during the first year, so that the medical student may be prepared to provide a service needed in the event of a medical emergency occurring inside or outside the hospital facilities. 3. SUPPORTS development of Emergency Medicine curriculum (per American College of Emergency Physicians guidelines) to be available at all medical schools on at least an elective basis. c. In regard to Violence: 1. provides, in the core curriculum, information regarding violence as a public health issue. (1992) 2. stresses: a. the physician s unique position of and, thus, responsibility for recognition and initial intervention in cases of child, intimate partner, elder and/or domestic abuse; (2017) b. education in the prevalence, incidence and interrelatedness of these problems, in presenting signs and symptoms, and in counseling skills for use in conjunction with available social services. d. URGES that all medical schools have a department of Preventive and Community Medicine, or its equivalent, with a sufficient number of qualified faculty and adequate financial support to effectively teach the material; e. SUPPORTS efforts to increase the teaching of clinical medicine in ambulatory settings, and encourages the linkage of such efforts with programs to provide care to the underserved populations and the medically indigent. (1986) f. SUPPORTS the introduction of cost awareness into undergraduate and graduate medical education only if it is integrated with formal instruction on the physician s ethical responsibilities to the patient and the community. (1986) 2. In regard to medical school curriculum and aging: a. SUPPORTS efforts by American Medical Schools (Allopathic and Osteopathic) to make substantial improvements in preparing future physicians to serve the needs of this country s older population by: (1989) i. Offer a general, interdisciplinary introduction to Geriatrics and Gerontology during the preclinical years of medical school, including the cultural and sociobehavioral aspects of normal aging, (1986) ii. subsequently highlight pertinent information regarding the older (both normal and ill) person with specific lectures in existing courses, (1986) 9
iii. include active teaching components devoted to the acute and chronically ill elderly patient during the clinical clerkships, as well as post-geriatric training, (1986) iv. offer elective(s) in clinical Geriatrics, (1986) v. include Geriatrics as a part of CME courses in practicing physicians. (1986) vi..incorporates information about aging and health care for the elderly; b. incorporates training in the special health-care needs of the terminally ill, including concerns for psychosocial issues and symptom control; c. In regard to medical school curriculum and the disabled and rehabilitation; 1. incorporates training of health care professionals in the special needs of the disabled, including skills required to care for the disabled patient; 2. RECOGNIZES that the physical medicine and rehabilitation is a specialty with a shortage of physicians; and therefore, URGES: (1986) a. all medical schools to teach students medical and psychosocial problems of the disabled. (1986) b. all medical schools to consider establishing a department of physical medicine and rehabilitation. (1986) c. federal funding for the training of physiatrists and for research in physical medicine and rehabilitation. (1986) d. In regard to human sexuality and reproduction: 1. teaches in third or fourth year rotations in OB/GYN the abortion procedure to medical students, with exemption on the basis of personal principles, in the same manner as other surgical procedures within that field. (1994) 2. incorporates the use of female and male Professional Teaching Associates during the initial instruction of medical students in pelvic, breast, rectogenital, testicular and prostate examinations; (1995) 3. incorporates, in the core curriculum, a comprehensive human sexuality course that: a. provides facts about human sexuality, sexual problems and options for treatment; b. equips the student with adequate diagnostic and therapeutic skills, including the ability to assess the degree of severity of a patient s sexual problems; c. enables the student to take a sensitive and appropriate sexual history, and talk comfortably about specific sexual behavior; d. clarifies the student s own values regarding sexual behavior, enabling the student to be comfortable with value differences in patients. 4. URGES the LCME to accredit only those medical schools, which offer the following: a. Didactic training, which excludes observation or participation, in reproductive health including, but not limited to abortion, in Ob/Gyn clerkships and in preclinical years; (1995) b. Experience in the surgical procedure of abortion, including observation of the procedure itself and the pre-abortion and post-abortion counseling, with exemptions for students based on personal principle; (1995) c. The aforementioned training can be received either on or off campus. (1995) 5. SUPPORTS the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) inclusion of items regarding all forms of abortion in the Ob/Gyn subject examination and all USMLE examinations. e. In regard to mental health: 1. incorporates in the core curriculum training which: a. emphasizes the influence of patients' lifestyle and behavior on widely prevalent chronic conditions such as obesity, hypertension, atherosclerotic heart disease, non-insulin 10
dependent diabetes mellitus, and violent trauma and the importance of this interrelationship in providing comprehensive, quality medical care to all patients; (1997) b. emphasizes the centrality of patients' lifestyle and behavior in the treatment and recovery from widely prevalent chronic conditions such as those named above; c. emphasizes instruction in how to discuss with patients the role of behavior in recovery from medical illness including improving diet, reducing stress, maintaining medication compliance, and avoiding high-risk behaviors such as unprotected sex and gang membership; (1997) d. instructs students during the Physical Diagnosis course in the proper techniques of obtaining a psychiatric history, including a psychosocial review of systems and performing a complete mental status examination. (1987) 2. ENCOURAGES medical schools and residency programs (1) to inform students and residents about the marked increase in the incidence of mental health issues throughout their undergraduate and graduate medical education, (2) to empower students and residents` to seek help if needed, and (3) to provide support groups, student wellness programs, and professional counseling for students and residents. 3. recognizes that the third year psychiatry clerkship has been shown to have the greatest impact on career choice but that the second year course plays a critical role in educating medical students about the behavioral aspects of medicine as described above. (1997) f. In regard to palliative care and pain management: 1. URGES the eventual establishment of palliative medicine and pain management programs and departments at US accredited academic medical institutions that currently do not have such programs; (2003) 2. ENCOURAGES the active recruitment of specialists in palliative care to the faculty; (2003) 3. INCORPORATES concepts of palliative care (which include good communication skills, and sensitivity to patients pain and symptoms) into all courses; (2003) 4. SUPPORTS a practical, case-based training in end of life issues; (2003) 5. ENCOURAGES medical students to consider palliative medicine as a career specialty. (2003) 3. SUPPORTS a medical school curriculum that: a. allows advance placement in the basic sciences; b. allows advancement at the student s own rate, based on learning and achievement rather than on time spent in a particular area; c. includes training in CPR (BCLS and/or ACLS Programs) prior to students being exposed to patients. (2010) 4. Regarding the National Board Examinations: a. URGES the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to report student performance as simply Pass/Fail to both students and state licensing boards, and provide medical schools with only a Pass/Fail statistical evaluation of the performance of their student population as a whole, with no documentation of individual student scores; b. URGES each medical schools faculty to develop its own internal evaluation process, other than exclusive use of National Board examinations, utilizing a variety of testing devices to assess both the cognitive and noncognitive aspects of student performance and curriculum quality; c. OPPOSES the use of National Board Examinations for medical school accreditation, residency selection, student promotion, and as the exclusive mode of curriculum evaluation; d. BELIEVES that the NBME must guarantee student representation in decisions regarding present and future USMLE examinations and future proposed licensing exams. (2005) e. With regard to the Unites States Medical Licensing Exam Step 2 Clinical Skills Examination (CSE): (2011) 1. strongly SUPPORTS pass/fail grading of the CSE; (2005) 11
2. strongly SUPPORTS making the CSE available free or at a nominal cost to all medical students at U.S. medical schools; (2005) 3. strongly SUPPORTS making CSE testing locations available in every U.S. city with a medical school; (2005) 4. strongly SUPPORTS the creation of national standards for clinical skills examinations to be implemented at all US medical schools; (2000) 5. strongly SUPPORTS the requirement for constructive feedback to students regarding their performance. (2000) 5. Regarding research in health professions education: a. SUPPORTS the creation and federal funding of a National Center for Health Professions Education Research; (1992) b. BELIEVES that physicians-in-training and other health professions-in-training should play an active role in the planning and execution of all initiatives for research in health professions education; (1992) c. SUPPORTS a national research agenda for health professions education that includes research on specialty choice and primary care, the impact of student indebtedness on education and careers, the recruitment and retention of under represented minority students and those of low-income backgrounds, and the impact of community-responsive training on eventual career choices. (1992) 6. SUPPORTS requiring every medical school to include rotational exposure to community service and practice in an underserved community in their curriculum. (1994) 7. In regard to primary care: a. SUPPORTS improving and strengthening primary education through having an appropriate number of primary care physician faculty in every medical school. (1994) b. offers and encourages a variety of quality primary care experiences, including educational programs and preceptorships in regional medical centers or other primary care settings outside of large teaching institutions, preferably in shortage areas; c. provides primary care educational experiences in the classroom and community setting taught by community-based physicians to supplement the existing curricula, which are often limited to the academic setting. (1991) 8. SUPPORTS and PROMOTES the inclusion of medicolegal topics such as medical malpractice and tort processes in medical school and continuing education curricula. (1996) 9. SUPPORTS the integration of public health into undergraduate and graduate medical education by: a. Encouraging state and federal funding of public health education and practice, particularly in an era of market-driven health care; (1996) b. Reframing public health as a basic science in the personal and clinical health sciences by incorporating the knowledge, skills and competencies related to the analysis of health care as a system into medical education; (1996) c. Creating programs at the federal, state and managed-care organizational levels to continue and enlarge the support base for a broad range of psychosocial-behavioral research and training; d. Developing research, service and training partnerships to apply population-based health management skills to the problems now faced by highly managed and integrated systems of care; e. Creating, in conjunction with federal, state and local government, managed-care organizations, and other nonacademic institutions, new public health programs that bring together the traditional public health disciplines with the clinical professions. (1996) 10. In regard to managed care: a. SUPPORTS and ENCOURAGES medical schools and residency programs to form arrangements with managed care organizations such that schools may offer numerous clinical clerkships and other 12
opportunities in managed care settings, not limited to clinical rotations in managed-care clinics, staff-model health maintenance organizations, etc.; (1997) b. SUPPORTS and ENCOURAGES managed care organizations to participate actively in medical education by forming arrangements with medical schools and academic health centers such that medical students and residents may participate in numerous clinical clerkships and other opportunities in managed care settings, not limited to clinical rotations in managed-care clinics, staff-model health maintenance organizations, etc.; (1997) c. SUPPORTS requiring managed care organizations to contribute financially to academic health centers for the education and training of physicians in medical school and in residency programs. Medical schools must retain autonomy over their curriculum and training programs. (1997) 11. In regard to complementary medicine: a. SUPPORTS the establishment of elective courses in medical school curricula that educate physicians-intraining about complementary and alternative medical modalities so that physicians can more effectively guide the healing process. (1998) 12. In regard to LGBTI health in medical school curricula: a. RECOGNIZES that culturally competent medical students and medical residents improve the healthcare environment experienced by LGBT patients. (2006) b. BELIEVES that learning the specific healthcare needs of LGBT patients during undergraduate medical education is a critical component of professional development as a physician. (2006) c. URGES Medical Schools to seamlessly integrate LGBT Health into their core curricula as part of mandatory coursework, and not sequester LGBT Health as a subject disconnected from other essential cultural topics in medicine. (2006) d. FURTHER RECOGNIZES that by working to ensure LGBTI patients feel less threatened in healthcare settings, LGBTI medical students, residents, and physicians will also feel more comfortable to draw on their own experiences to advocate on behalf of all their patients. (2006) 13. In regard to medical errors and patient safety: a. URGES the LCME to require all medical schools to include curriculum about medical errors and patient safety, including but not limited to: 1. disclosure of risks, medical errors and poor outcomes to patients and families (2007) 2. understanding the science that underlies patient safety, including the multifactorial nature of errors, high-risk situations, root cause analysis and appropriate reporting of mistakes and near misses (2007) 3. teamwork including interaction with non-physician members of the medical team (2007) 4. communication and conflict resolution skills between health professionals, including what to do if an error goes unreported or is suppressed and how to disclose to supervisors if the student does not feel competent to perform a procedure or duty (2007) 5. appropriate medical record keeping, informed consent, defensive medicine, appropriate standards of care, and what constitutes malpractice including examples of each. (2007) 6. Identifying mistakes, learning how to analyze mistakes, identifying potential ways to reduce risk, and exploring how to implement risk reduction strategies. (2007) 14. SUPPORTS a medical school curriculum that: a. Provides formal instruction about the pharmaceutical and medical products industry, including: 1. critical evaluation of the issues of pharmaceutical development incentives and cost, research quality and independence, regulation, and communication; 2. the decision-making process for prescribing medications, as it relates to the economics and bioequivalence of using brand name versus generic drugs; 13
3. the impact and ethics of direct-to-consumer and direct-to-physician marketing practices employed by the pharmaceutical industry, as they relate to the physician-patient relationship; 4. studies on medical prescriber-drug company interactions and the effects of marketing on prescribing habits. 5. how to critically evaluate clinical trials. 6. how to critically evaluate pharmaceutical marketing. 7. principles of evidence-based prescribing. b. provides full disclosure about commercial sources of sponsorship of any medical education program, whether Grand Rounds or CME; c. establishes pharmacy and therapeutics committees in all teaching hospitals to encourage the following: 1. active team practice (joint bedside rounds, pharmacy chart reviews, etc.) involving clinical pharmacists and physicians in drug use decision-making; 2. establishment of oversight and evaluation mechanisms for prescribing practices of students, housestaff, and physicians; these mechanisms to include guidelines for interaction with industry representatives in teaching institutions; 3. establishment of hospital formularies which specify drugs, their indications, mode and cost of administration, and complications; d. PROHIBITS pharmaceutical industry representatives from marketing to medical students, including, but not limited to, distributing paraphernalia advertising pharmaceuticals or pharmaceutical companies to students, detailing students about a particular prescription drug, and inviting students to pharmaceutical industry-sponsored meals. 15. In regard to social media: a. RECOGNIZES the importance of training students on both the professional promises and perils of social media. b. URGES the incorporation of comprehensive social media education into medical school curricula. 16. In regards to medical misuse and overuse: a. RECOGNIZES the importance of physicians-in-training to be aware of misuse and overuse in medical practice; (2015) b. RECOGNIZES the right to health care is also a claim on common wealth and thus should not extend to ineffective treatments; (2015) c. RECOGNIZES that medical training should provide the ethical grounding for clinicians to be transparent about the basis of their decision-making and explicit training in how to communicate different options and to involve patients in decisions regarding diagnostic strategies; (2015) d. STRONGLY ENCOURAGES medical schools to develop a formal curricula that teaches medical students about the risks of overuse, the risks of misuse, and the actual cost of diagnostic tests, promote the principles of good stewardship, and evaluate trainees in their delivery of high-value care; (2015) 14
e. STRONGLY ENCOURAGES that medical trainees must be taught that overuse is unethical - besides risking harm, it undermines the ability to extend coverage to all and fund other societal needs that can improve health; (2015) f. URGES medical trainees to learn about embracing and accepting uncertainty and the human and financial costs that come with pursuing unnecessary testing; (2015) g. URGES that medical education foster humility, empathy, patience, service, courage, and restraint (2015) 17. In regard to nutrition education: a. URGES the integration of at least 25 hours of comprehensive nutrition education into medical school curricula; (2015) b. URGES that medical schools incorporate nutrition curricula with other healthcare professional programs and interprofessional courses and experiences. (2015) 15
The American Medical Student Association: 1. In regard to evaluation of residents: PRINCIPLES REGARDING MEDICAL EDUCATION EVALUATION a. SUPPORTS the ACGME requirement that faculty must evaluate resident performance in a timely manner during each rotation or similar educational assignment, and document this evaluation at completion of the assignment; (2017) b. BELIEVES that the program should provide a copy of the evaluation to each resident upon its completion, with space at the end for the resident to sign and date to acknowledge receipt of the evaluation. The evaluation must not be placed in the resident s file until they have seen it; (2017) c. BELIEVES that residents should be provided with their own copy of each evaluation simultaneous with the placement of the evaluation in their file; (2017) d. SUPPORTS the ACGME requirement that evaluations of resident performance must be accessible for review by the resident, in accordance with institutional policy, but believes that this could be strengthened by making it a requirement that the institutional policy publicizes residents right to routinely see their evaluations along with a simple process for doing so; (2017) e. BELIEVES that programs must provide each resident whose performance is deemed substandard a written remediation plan with specific goals for improvement and plan to achieve those goals in a reasonable time period; (2017) 2. In regard to evaluation of the program: a. BELIEVES that the program must clearly publicize to all residents at least annually the procedure for submitting a concern or a complaint with the ACGME about any aspect of the Common Program Requirements within their own program. (2017) 16
PRINCIPLES REGARDING ADMISSION TO MEDICAL SCHOOL The American Medical Student Association: 1. SUPPORTS a greater use of noncognitive selection criteria such as those that assess an applicant s motivation, social awareness and ability to communicate with others, and supports the expansion of admission committees to include students and other persons qualified to assess such criteria; 2. SUPPORTS the revising of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) to exclude culturally biased questions and to include, where possible, sections which measure noncognitive criteria; 3. OPPOSES the requirement of forced practice within the state as a prerequisite for admission; 4. SUPPORTS special incentives and admission consideration for medical school applicants for rural areas in need of physicians; 5. STRONGLY URGES the American Osteopathic Association to amend the Accreditation Standards and Procedures for Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (COM), Part 2.4.A.2.(f) to read The selection of students for admission to a COM shall not be influenced by race, color, sex, religion, creed, national origin, age, handicap or sexual orientation and gender identity. (1989) 6. SUPPORTS the concept that information regarding applicants ability and/or means to finance their medical education should not be requested prior to their acceptance, nor should such information be considered as a criteria for acceptance. 7. BELIEVES that secondary application fees should not serve as a barrier to medical school admission. Therefore, AMSA SUPPORTS that secondary application fees be minimized and standardized as in the primary AMCAS application. (2007) 8. SUPPORTS holistic applicant review processes that provide a global assessment of individuals and fosters a diverse physician workforce. (2011) 9. BELIEVES that medical school admissions offices should, where possible, utilize technology to reduce costs associated with the interview process for applicants. (2011) 10. ENCOURAGES the development and implementation of admissions processes that advance the social mission of medical education. (2013) 11. SUPPORTS the ability of DACA-eligible students to apply and matriculate into medical school. (2015) 12. STRONGLY ENCOURAGES medical schools to implement supportive internal policies regarding DACA-eligible applicants including non-discrimination, financial eligibility, and student services. (2015) 17
PRINCIPLES REGARDING MINORITY REPRESENTATION AND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION The American Medical Student Association: 1. SUPPORTS the increased representation of minority students in medical schools, not only as a result of concern for social equity, but also because such representation leads to positive and necessary changes in the attitudes of students, faculty and administrators, and hence to positive improvements in the health of society and in the healthcare delivery systems; 2. URGES that, in order to achieve equal minority representation, U.S. medical schools recognize the goal of graduating a nationwide average of underrepresented minorities reflecting, at a minimum, the most recent census figures. 3. SUPPORTS an individual school graduating class minority percentage at least equal to the proportional numbers of that minority in the population of the region in which the medical school is located; 4. SUPPORTS the development, funding and continued emphasis toward strengthening of programs to identify and prepare minority students from the high-school level onward and to enroll, retain and graduate increased numbers of minority students; 5. URGES development of programs to address to the financial needs of minority medical students; 6. URGES increased efforts by medical schools to hire minority group faculty and administration. 7. SUPPORTS the principle of federal and state affirmative action programs for the purpose of increasing diversity in education, government and business settings. (1996) 8. URGES that all medical schools establish Offices of Minority Affairs, ensure that there are safe spaces for minority students to seek support, and make funding available for continual programming and programs that convey the value of a diverse, accepting campus. 9. ENCOURAGE medical school admissions offices to adopt policies and practices that proactively improve diversity on their campuses to the full limits allowed by federal guidance. 10. ENCOURAGES the retention and promotion of doctors in academic medicine into tenure tracks and full professorships in order to foster diversity at the faculty level of US medical schools. 18
PRINCIPLES REGARDING ACCREDITATION The American Medical Student Association: 1. BELIEVES the accreditation reports issued by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) (2005) and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) should be open to public scrutiny; 2. URGES the LCME to require medical schools, as a prerequisite for accreditation, to provide comprehensive professional liability coverage for each medical student while participating in intramural and extramural clinical programs accredited by or affiliated with the medical school; 3. URGES that students be allowed full participation in all aspects of the accreditation process of the LCME: a. full participation by students in the self-study portion of the accreditation process at each school; b. the inclusion of students as members of site visit teams; c. full voting privileges for the student participants on the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. 4. ENCOURAGES the LCME to adopt medical student appropriate, sensitive, proactive and thorough notification policies and procedures with respect to medical school probation and loss of accreditation (2012). 19
PRINCIPLES REGARDING FINANCING OF MEDICAL EDUCATION The American Medical Student Association: 1. RECOGNIZES that equitable access to medical education is essential to guarantee diversity of the physician workforce. Medicine will not be able to provide for the health needs of our complex society if it does not reflect society s demographics. (2006) 2. BELIEVES that equitable access to medical education requires consideration of the pipeline to medical school and prioritization of equitable access to undergraduate education in addition to providing college-graduates with adequate financial aid SUPPORTS the Federal Pell Grant Program. (2012) 3. FURTHER BELIEVES that access to higher education is a right and should only depend on a student s performance, not on her or his ability to pay tuition. (2006) 4. SUPPORTS increased financial education for medical students in order to better prepare students to make more advantageous financial decisions, (2006) 5. In regard to Aid-for-Service Programs a. SUPPORTS the National Health Services Corps (NHSC) and other loan repayment and scholarship programs, such as the NIH Scholars program, (2006) b. SUPPORTS an increase in NHSC funding to enable all qualified applicants to join the Corps. (2010) c. SUPPORTS the additional expansion of the NHSC to include medical specialties outside of primary care that are also in shortage in underserved areas, insofar as such expansion does not threaten the NHSC commitment to primary care, (2006) d. ENCOURAGES the expansion of other loan repayment programs of existing programs, including the Global Health Services Corps. (2012) e. BELIEVES that Aid-for-Service programs not only increases access to medical education, but also directly addresses issues of disparities in access to healthcare. (2006) f. SUPPORTS creation and expansion of state and local loan repayment programs for primary care physicians but OPPOSES such expansion at the expense of the federal NHSC program. (2012) 6. In regard to loan repayment: a. SUPPORTS the concept of an educational opportunity bank for medical students where educational loans, interest and administrative costs can be repaid, once in practice, on an income contingent basis; b. SUPPORTS the deferment of payment on the principal and accrued interest of educational loans incurred for premedical and medical education until the completion of medical training, including internship and residency; c. SUPPORTS the concept of availability of student loan consolidation, refinancing and graduated repayment; (2004) 7. URGES that medical schools cooperate with the federal government to improve collection practices on student loans; 8. In regard to loan source, amount, and development: a. URGES that ceilings on federally issued loans must be sufficient to meet the actual needs of students and their dependents, as determined by the financial aid officer at each medical school; b. URGES the continued support and development of low interest loan programs, which offer students a fair and practical solution to the funding of medical education, and further URGES interest rate reductions for high interest loans including the federal GradPLUS program; (2012) c. SUPPORTS continued federal direct lending for students.(2012) d. URGES the federal government to allow in-school consolidation of student loans. (2006) 9. CONDEMNS any use of a student s military draft registration status as a criterion in the eligibility for, or awarding of, financial aid. 20
10. SUPPORTS the continuation of the Department of Defense s Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program; 11. In regard to taxation: a. SUPPORTS the tax deductibility of interest paid on student loans; (2005) b. SUPPORTS legislation, which would make the cost of tuition, books and essential educational materials tax deductible for students engaged in graduate and professional education; c. OPPOSES medical school tuition instituted by the government, local, state, or otherwise imposed on medical students. (2011) 12. URGES that childcare expenses be included in the assessment of financial aid needs for all medical students; 13. SUPPORTS the funding, by state governments, of a substantial portion of the costs of private medical schools within their jurisdiction; 14. OPPOSES the acquisition or management of medical school teaching hospitals and affiliate teaching hospitals by for-profit health-care corporations. 15. SUPPORTS the interest exemption on subsidized loans during the time period a student is attending either undergraduate or graduate medical school. (1995) 16. In regard to the use of endowments: a. CONDEMNS the use of research and medical endowment funds or its interest to finance activities outside the endowment's original purposes when those purposes have not been achieved; (1999) b. SUPPORTS legislation that: 1. Restricts the use of interest income from endowments to fund activities outside the medical institution; (1999) 2. Bans the use of interest income from research and scholarship endowments for any activity outside of its original intent; (1999) 3. Makes institutions and individuals involved in such activities financially liable for misappropriated funds. (1999) 17. CONDEMNS federal or state government cuts to programs aimed at increasing access to medical education; (2006) 18. URGES the creation of State and Federal grant-based financial aid programs for medical students. (2006) 19. SUPPORTS the concept of Area Health Education Centers. 20. In regard to tuition a. SUPPORTS the concept that medical schools should guarantee a maximum level of tuition to students prior to enrollment and provide their students with a justification (including specific data) for all proposed tuition increases; b. SUPPORTS the concept that medical schools have an obligation to assist all enrolled students in meeting the increased financial burdens if tuition is increased; c. STRONGLY URGES medical schools to disclose their financial reports such that both medical students and applicants are informed of: 1. How funds are obtained through tuition and other revenue sources are used; (1999) 2. The medical school s affiliation with hospitals and other for-profit and nonprofit organizations that share financial obligations; (1999) 3. How to obtain their medical institution s annual report containing information on the operating budgets and expenses of the institution. (1999) d. STRONGLY URGES medical schools to promptly inform current and matriculating students of any financial events involving the school, affiliated hospitals, affiliation with hospitals and other for-profit and nonprofit organizations in which financial obligations are shared that can substantially affect both a matriculating student s decision to enter the medical school and the finances of current medical students; (1999) e. URGES efforts by medical schools to prevent an increase in tuition caused by reduced research reports and financial risks initiated by affiliation with hospitals and other for-profit and nonprofit organizations in 21
which financial obligations are shared. (1999) f. CONDEMNS the practice of retroactive tuition hikes; (2006) g. SUPPORTS inclusion of tuition transparency into the LCME s accreditation criteria of medical schools; (2006) 21. SUPPORTS adoption of a free medical school model in which medical school tuition would be waived for all students; (2017) 22. SUPPORTS graduate medical education financial support from the federal government be allocated to incentivize students to pursue primary care residency programs; (2017) 23. CONDEMNS the elimination of the federal subsidized Stafford loan program for graduate students and URGES the availability of subsidized loans for undergraduate and medical students. (2012) 24. URGES the Department of Education to revise the student loan return order such that higher interest rate loans are the first returned. (2012) 22
PRINCIPLES REGARDING SERVICE IN UNDERSERVED AREAS AND SERVICE OBLIGATIONS The American Medical Student Association: 1. SUPPORTS the concept that each physician should work for a minimum of two years in an area of geographic or specialty need, such service preferably to take place following completion of graduate training; 2. In regard to financing service obligations and initiatives; a. SUPPORTS legislation providing tax exemptions, financial support, or other incentives for health professionals going into shortage areas; b. Regarding service obligations in underserved areas: 1. SUPPORTS the Public Health Service, Indian Health Service and National Health Service Corps programs and URGES increased funding for such programs to make positions available to any qualified applicant; (1994) 2. STRONGLY URGES the development of loan programs with loan forgiveness features tied to service in areas of geographic and specialty need; and URGES that such forgiveness be available to all individuals desiring such mechanisms and for loans from any source used to finance medical and premedical education; and further URGES that the level of such loans be commensurate with the real costs of medical education; 3. ENCOURAGES community based partnership that incentivized students to provide later service in underserved communities through financial support while in medical school; (2017) 4. URGES all scholarship programs with service obligations to have hardship provisions, since the needs, motivations and family commitments of a student may change between the time the obligation is incurred and repayment in service is expected; 5. URGES the adoption of legislation to exempt from taxation income due to service-dependent forgiveness of educational loans and scholarships; 6. SUPPORTS the concept of federal and state incentive grants directed at meeting national health work-force objectives; 3. URGES those administering programs, which place physicians in areas of need, such as the National Health Service Corps, to include provisions for: a. adequate ancillary personnel, equipment and facilities b. optimal utilization of allied health professionals; c. continuing medical education; d. shared responsibilities for patient care among health-care providers; e. consideration of the desires of both physician and spouse with regard to location and spouse employment. 4. SUPPORTS the National Health Service Corps in its efforts to deal with the problem of placing medical resources and personnel in medically underserved urban areas and medically underserved rural areas; (2017) 23